1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scanning document reader and a memory medium having a scanner driver program stored therein, and more particularly, to a control device for a scanning document reader and a memory medium having a scanner driver program in which in a sheet-feed type scanner, the color of a surface of a feed roller for feeding mediums is distinguishable from the color of the medium so that the region of the medium on the feed roller can be recognized, by judging a difference between the color of the feed roller and the color of the medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional scanning document readers are disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 61-140440, No. 2-215269, No. 4-306065 and No. 4-342089.
In the aforesaid conventional scanning document reader, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 61-140440 discloses a document detection mechanism using sensors for detecting the presence or the absence of a document, and a leading end and a trailing end of the document, by providing a cognate color portion having a reflectivity cognate with that of a standard document and a different color portion on the surface of a rotary unit for transporting a document. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2-215269 discloses a scanner device for deciding an effective image width in the main scanning direction in a scanning area, based on the continuity of black bits in the main scanning direction and the number of black bits in the sub-scanning direction, when a scanning area is scanned and sub-scanned. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-306065 discloses a facsimile device in which a platen roller located at a scanner reading position is painted black, so that an inclination of a document is calculated and compensated for transmission, based on line data read from the first line to several lines down from the first line. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 4-342089 discloses a character inputting and processing method for efficiently clipping out a hand written text from a hand written document.
When a document is read by a conventional scanner as described above, the size of a sheet is usually designated in advance, as shown in FIG. 10A, and the designated size designated is read and processed. In FIGS. 10A and 10B, 30A is an actual sheet size, and 30B is a designated size. 31 is a sheet transport roller and 33 is a read data. In this case, however, since the designated size 30B is read even when a sheet 30A of different size or of not-standard size is to be read, as shown in FIG. 10B, there is a drawback in that portions other than the sheet 30A are also read.
Data so read, therefore, results in inclusion of unnecessary data, and a computer using data so read ends in using the memory capacity thereof in excess of what should have been used for the form. In addition, a user of a scanner is forced to experience the inconvenience of deleting an unnecessary read portion as required after reading, by using an image processing program. Furthermore, there is also caused a problem of producing wasted time in reading.
The present invention is made in view of the above problems in the prior art and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a scanner, a scanning document reader and a memory medium having therein a scanner driver program that does not waste the memory capacity of a computer by ignoring a portion of data appearing outside a medium even if the protruding portion is within a scanning range and hence eliminating an occurrence of reading invalid data, which can eliminate the inconvenience, that a user of the scanner is forced to experience, of deleting an unnecessary read portion or portions after reading, by using an image processing program, and which can reduce the reading time.
The present invention provides a control device for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the control device comprising a decision means for deciding a valid data portion depending on the color of the medium transport roller, from data read by the medium reader. The control device can decide the valid data portion by adopting this construction.
The present invention also provides a control device for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the control device comprising a decision means for causing the medium reader to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, and control means for validating data located at a position of a valid data portion in the subsequent reading. The position of the valid data can be obtained by adopting this construction.
The present invention also provides a control device for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the control device comprising a decision means for causing the medium reader to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of said medium, and a control means for causing the medium reader read data located at a position of the valid data portion in the subsequent reading. Adopting this construction can make the medium reader read the data located at the position of the valid data.
Preferably, the decision means decides a start position and a length of valid data, as the valid data portion. Or, the decision means decides a start position and an end position of valid data, as said valid data portion. By adopting these constructions, the control device can decide the start position and the length of the valid data.
The present invention also provides a control device for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, in a control device comprising a decision means for deciding a final line of a medium on the medium transport roller when the color of all data read by the medium reader becomes identical to the color of the surface of the medium transport roller while said medium is read by the medium reader. By adopting this construction, the final line of the medium can be decided.
Preferably, the decision means decides the length of a medium in a medium transport direction. The control device dan detect the trailing end and decide the length of the medium in the medium transport direction.
The present invention also provides a control device for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the control device comprising a first decision means for causing the medium reader to scan at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a valid data portion depending on the color of the medium transport roller, a second decision means for reading the medium on the medium transport roller by the medium reader and for deciding a final line of the medium on said medium transport roller when the color of all data so read becomes identical to the color of the surface of the medium transport roller, and a size decision means for deciding the size of the medium in response to the first and second decision means. By adopting the construction, the control device can decide the size of the medium from the valid data portion and the final line of the data. Since only the valid data portion can be read through the above construction, the reading time can be reduced.
The present invention further provides a medium reader comprising a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, a reader means for reading a medium on the medium transport roller, and a decision means for deciding a valid data portion of data read by said reader means depending on the color of the medium transport roller. The medium reader can decide the valid data portion by adopting the above construction.
The present invention also provides a medium reader comprising a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, a reader means for reading a medium on the medium transport roller, decision means for causing the reader means to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, and control means for validating data located at the position of the valid data portion in the subsequent reading. By adopting this construction, data located at the position of valid data can be obtained.
The present invention also provides a medium reader comprising a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, a reader means for reading a medium on the medium transport roller, decision means for causing the reader means to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, and control means for causing the reader means read data located at the position of the valid data portion in the subsequent reading. The medium reader can decide the start of the valid data and the valid data length by adopting the above construction.
The present invention also provides a medium reader comprising a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, reader means for reading a medium on the medium transport roller, and decision means for deciding a final line of the medium when the color of all data read by the reader means becomes identical to the color of the surface of the medium transport roller. By adopting this construction, the medium reader can decide the length of the medium in the direction in which it is carried by detecting the trailing end of the medium.
The present invention also provides a medium reader comprising a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, reader means for reading a medium on the medium transport roller, first decision means for causing the reader means to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and for deciding a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, second decision means for deciding a final line of the medium when the color of all data read by the reader means becomes identical to the color of the surface of the medium transport roller, and size decision means for deciding the size of the medium in response to the first and second decision means. By adopting this construction, the medium reader can decide the size of the medium from the valid data portion and the final line of the medium, whereby since only the valid portion can be read, the reading time can be reduced.
The present invention further provides a memory medium readable by a computer and having a program stored therein for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the memory medium having a program recorded therein for causing the computer to realize a function to decide a valid data portion depending on the color of the medium transport roller, from data read by said medium reader. By adopting this construction, the computer readable record medium can decide the valid data portion.
The present invention also provides a memory medium readable by a computer and having a program stored therein for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the memory medium having a program recorded therein for causing a computer to realize a decision function to cause the medium reader to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and to decide a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, and a control function to validate data located at the position of the valid data portion in the subsequent reading. The memory medium can decide the start position of the valid data and the valid data length by adopting the above construction.
The present invention also provides a memory medium readable by a computer and having a program stored therein for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the memory medium having a program recorded therein for causing a computer to realize a decision function to cause the medium reader to read at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and to decide a position of a valid data portion depending on a difference between the color of the medium transport roller and the color of the medium, and a control function to cause the medium reader to read data located at the position of the valid data portion in the subsequent reading. The memory medium can decide the start position of the valid data and the valid data length by adopting the above construction.
The present invention also provides a memory medium readable by a computer and having a program stored therein for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the memory medium having a program recorded therein for causing a computer to realize a decision function to decide a final line of a medium on the medium transport roller when the color of all data read becomes identical to the color with the surface of the medium transport roller while the medium is read by the medium reader. The memory medium can decide the length of the medium in a direction in which it is carried by detecting the trailing end thereof.
The present invention also provides a memory medium readable by a computer and having a program stored therein for controlling a medium reader having a medium transport roller with a surface in a color distinguishable from a color of a medium, the memory medium having a program recorded therein for for causing a computer to realize a first decision function to cause the medium reader to scan at least one line of a medium on the medium transport roller and to decide a valid data portion depending on the color of the medium transport roller, a second decision function to cause the medium reader to read the medium on the medium transport roller and to decide a final line of the medium on the medium transport roller when the color of all data read becomes identical to the color of the surface of the medium transport roller, and a size decision function to decide the size of the medium in response to the first and second decision functions. By adopting this construction, the medium medium can decide the size of the medium from the valid data portion and the final line thereof.